Safety-strip for electric circuits



(No Model.) v

P. LANGE & O. B. SH'ALLENBERGER.

SAFETY STRIP FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS. No. 374,842. Patented Dec. 13, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP LANCE, OF PITTSBURG, AND OLIVER B. SHALLENBERGER, OF

ROCHESTER, ASSIGNOBS TO THE WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY,

OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY-STRIP FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of'Letters Patent No. 374,842, datedDecember 13, 1887.

Application filed September '1, 1887. Serial No 248,472. (No model.)

To aZZ whom itdnay concern:

Beit known that we, PHILIP LANGE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,residing in Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny, and OLIVER B.SHALLENBERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Rochester, inthe county of Beaver, both in the State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Strips for ElectricCircuits, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to the construction of devices employed forconnecting electric conductors with each other through fusible strips,which serve to protect the apparatus connected in the circuit from beinginjured by currents of abnormal strength.

The invention consists, generally, in providing a given circuit with twolusible strips, either of which may be connected in the circuit at will,so that when one is destroyed the other may be brought into action in aready manner. The two conductors lead, respectively, to bindingplatesupon the opposite sides of a suitable base. Adjacent to these bindingplates are two contact-plates, which may be respectively connected withthe binding plates by suitable switch-plugs. Each binding;plate isconnected with the remote contact-plate by a fusible strip.

The invention will be described more particularly in connection with theaccompanying drawing, which is a plan View of the device.

Referring to the drawing, Arepresents asuitable base ofnon-conductingmaterial-suchfior instance, as wood. This carries a bindingplate, B,'forreceiving a conductor, L. For this purpose the plate is provided with anenlargement, b, having an opening, into which the conductor is bound byscrews 0 c. The inner end of the plate B confronts a contactplate, D,with which it may be placed in electrical connection-by a switch-plug,such as is represented at E. The plate D is connected by a strip, F, offusible material, with a sec- .of the base from the plate B.

0nd binding-plate, B upon the opposite side This second plate, 13receivesa conductor, L", which passes into an opening through anenlargement, b, where it is secured by screws 0'. A secondcontact-plate, D, is placed opposite the inner end of the plate B, theconfronting edges being formed to receive the switch-plug E. The

plate D is connected with the plate B by a fusible strip, F

It is designed that but one of the strips F or F shall be in circuit ata time. Thus the strip 1" is here shown as placed in circuit, the plug Ebeing simply inserted in the base A. Should the strip F, however, beburned out, the plates D and B may be connected together by aswitch-plug, and thus the circuit connections continued while the stripF is being replaced, the plug E being meanwhile removed.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination, with asupporting-base, oftwo binding-plates upon the opposite sides of the base, twocontact-plates, respectively ap plied to said binding-plates, twofusible strips, respectively connecting each binding plate with thecontact-plate applied to the other binding-plate, and means forelectrically connecting either binding-plate with the correspondingcontact-plate.

2. The combination,with two binding-plates for receiving electricalconductors, of two fusible strips, respectively connected at one endtherewith, two contact-plates With which the remaining ends of saidstrips are respectively connected, and coupling devices for connectingeither contact-plate with the binding-plate connected with the otherfusible strip.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names this 1st dayof July, A. D. 1887.

PHILIP LANGE. O. B. SHALLENBERGER.

WVitnesses:

W. D. UPTEGRAFI CHARLES A. TERRY.

